Sir Kenneth William Blackburne

Sir Kenneth William Blackburne, K.C.M.G. (1952), C.M.G. (1946), O.B.E. (1939), was the last colonial administrator for Jamaica. He was appointed on December 18, 1957 as Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of Jamaica and its Dependencies. On Jamaica’s independence, as a transitional measure, he was sworn-in as the new state’s first Governor-General, a position in which he served till November 30, 1962, when he departed for retirement in England. He died in November, 1980.

In Jamaica he was Chief Scout, President of the Alliance Francaise de la Jamaique and served as Patron for: Commodore Royal Jamaica Yacht Club; President, Jamaica Flying Club Ltd., Order of St. John and its Foundations in Jamaica; Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica, Army and Air Cadet Force (Jamaica), Boys’ Town, British West Indies Rifle Association, Child Welfare Association Limited, Jamaica Anti-Tuberculosis League, Jamaica Automobile Association, Jamaica Branch British Red Cross Society, Jamaica Cricket Board of Control, Jamaica Football Association, Jamaica Historical Society, Jamaica Society for the Blind Ltd., Kingston Charity Organisation Society, Royal Air Force Association, The Boys’ Brigade, The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of Jamaica, The Victoria League and The Young Men’s Christian Association.

The Constitutional Status and Role of the Governor-General

The Governor-General of Jamaica is appointed by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, within the monarchical system of Government provided by the Jamaican Constitution. He is "Her Majesty's representative in Jamaica".